Rock N Roll weekend

Neko Case

The weekend passed with much fan fare. Friday my insatiable appetite for Neko Case was fed at the Chicago Theater. Truly an elegant setting for for a woman of such punk rock roots. Gone are the days of the intimate settings of Shubas (seating around 500?) and possibly the mid sized venue too as she sold out the cavernous auditorium. She played through her new album Middle Cyclone and mixed in some previous singles too. Kelly Hogan kept the banter coming while Neko kept uncharacteristically quiet for the majority of the show. However along with Jon Rauhous on steel pedal and the rest of the band Neko sounded the best I've ever heard. The only issue I had was my confinement to my seat but I know Ill be dancing when I see her in Grant Park this summer.

M Ward

On to show number two on Sunday. M Ward a singer Nick turned me on to last year when he made me a CD for my 18 hour drive across the heartland. Since then yet another Nick that I work with has been playing the man nonstop here at work so we all caught him at the Vic. The show had some high energy mixed with slow deep rhythms. In the middle he donned a harmonica sans band and did his best Bob Dylan. He ended his set with a rockabilly feel and had the story ended there it would have been fine. However the Rock N Roller that she is Janine took us all to the only decent dive bar in the area for PBR's and in walks the opening band, The Watson Twins. Upon realizing this we notice that we were sitting nixt to M Ward at the bar the entire time. Janine splits to talk to the Watson Twins and leaves me to buy M Ward a beer and have a good long conversation with the man. To top it off when I tell him I work at the Art Insitiute he introduces me to his friends as such "this is Tommy he works at the Art Museum" I had to reply "hey man you make great music, your job is way cooler". If that is not a Rock N Roll weekend I don't know what is.